Subete wa Yami: Everything is Darkness
by Kang Xiu
Summary: What will happen to Suboshi in the afterlife? Little Shunkaku is having nightmares again, and perhaps there will come a day when he has no aniki to comfort him and tell him they're just dreams.


Disclaimer: Kanashimi: This disturbing little piece stars Suboshi and my mirror-brother Yami. The one is Yuu Watase's, and the other Korin's. I leave it to you to guess which belongs to whom.  
  
Subete wa Yami ~ Everything is Darkness  
  
The fallen shichiseishi Suboshi felt the pain receding from his chest, the horrible cutting pain of his ryuuseisui hitting him, his own weapon turning on him, this pain was vanishing. He opened his eyes, his hand still clasping the turquoise ribbon as it had in life. Everything about him was dark, the sky - if there was one - the ground; he could barely see himself.  
  
[Turn the darkness off  
I need the light  
The pain of blackness pushes down  
And down  
And deeper  
Turn the darkness off  
It's a little frightening  
Won't you please,  
Won't you please,  
Turn the darkness off,  
'Kaa-san?  
Turn it away]  
  
He rose and tried to look around. Unable to, he stepped forward into the black, calling out into the depths, "Aniki! Aniki, doko watashi desu ka!"  
  
Suddenly he felt the darkness grow even deeper as someone entered it. A light flared up and he saw his twin standing there. He gasped in surprise and delight and ran forward, but the figure put his hand out threateningly, and Suboshi saw that the light was glowing from the centre of his palm.  
  
"I'm not your aniki, Shunkaku. My name is Yami."  
  
[Turn the darkness off  
My shivering returns with it  
My silver rivulets of tears run down  
And down   
And deeper  
Turn the darkness off  
It makes me lose my way  
I want to see  
I want to see  
The sun will return as you said, right,  
'Kaa-san?  
Please be right. Please turn the darkness off]  
  
"Yami? Demo, I don't know - "  
  
"You know me. You have always known me. Think back, Shunkaku. Think back to every time you ever saw yourself echoed. Think back to every shard of mirror, every crystal of clear water, every pool of tears. I am your reflection. And I am here to see that you do not get in to the Shi Jin Heaven."  
  
"Not go to heaven? But why?!" Suboshi's eyes filled with tears. "Why keep me out? I died for the girl I loved, I died for her! I set my aniki free! Why won't you let me in?!"  
  
"My Yume. The little boy I took care of. You killed him, him and his brother and sisters. The four of them never touched you, never hurt you, never inflicted upon you any sort of pain."  
  
"They existed!" Suboshi's upset turned suddenly to anger. "Their brother killed my aniki, and left me all alone with no one! And he still had them! He didn't know what it was like to lose all you have in the world, everything, to feel it escaping you, dying, and you with no way to get it back or save it! That pain was so much worse than death! That was how they hurt me!"  
  
[Turn the darkness off  
It's a little too dark  
It just has a disconcerting way of going on  
And on  
And deeper  
Turn the darkness off  
The moon may be beautiful, but it's not enough  
I need the sun  
I need the sun  
Then everything will seem all right again,  
'Kaa-san  
O, turn the darkness off]  
  
Yami's eyes, the same deep, familiar, safe purple of his brother's, flashed dangerously, and he lunged at Suboshi with his hand outstretched, the flame aiming for the young star warrior's throat.   
  
"You think that's an excuse?! I condemn you!"  
  
Terrified, the boy dodged to the side, falling sharply in the deep darkness. He felt the aching of scraped away skin as he skidded on what was apparently the ground. The ribbon fell from his hands and was gone. Then his fingers curled around an edge, and he became aware that down, far, far below him was a cold grey light.   
  
"Oh, my Seiryuu," he sobbed, staring down at the glow in fear. He looked up at Yami's hand and the fire on his palm as it came down.  
  
[Turn the darkness off  
It's fading the bright grass and the blue sky  
The sun has sunken down  
And down  
And vanished  
Turn the darkness off  
The shadows are all one and staying  
Filling everything  
Filling everything  
I want to cry  
Dear 'kaa-san,   
Turn the darkness off]  
  
Suboshi closed his eyes, sensing inexplicably that now he would be forced over the edge of his safe circle of darkness, and down into the frightening light below.   
  
He felt the burn on his throat horrifying clearly, and he screamed, realizing that after his death he had expected to feel no more pain, because, after all, what pain can befall a spirit?   
  
As Yami's flame pressed down, he turned over as quickly as he could, over the rim, off of the disk of shadows, down, down, still burning, still hurting, hands pressed to his throat as hot tears welled out of his eyes to streak along his face. A sick feeling began in the pit of his stomach, a horrible sensation like the one brought on by rotting meat.   
  
Yami had succeeded.   
  
[Turn the darkness off  
Its melancholy knowledge is spreading  
The melody of night is growing strong  
And strong  
And deeper  
Turn the darkness off  
It's getting too heavy  
I'm lonely  
I'm lonely  
Wait! The brilliance of day is appearing  
What? 'Kaa-san,  
You turned the darkness off!]  
  
Little Bu Shunkaku awoke in the darkness, tears pouring down his cheeks. He shook his twin brother sleeping in the bed beside him, clinging to him, begging him to become wakeful and put an end to his fears.  
  
"Aniki! Aniki!! Doko anata desu ka!"  
  
Bu Koutoku raised his head sleepily, and wrapped his arms around his little brother. "S'allright, Shun, don't cry. It was just a nightmare, you're fine, and I'm here. Hush now, go back to sleep."  
  
"Hai, aniki..." He curled up again, still in the security of his brother's embrace, unafraid now. "It'll never happen, will it?"  
  
Koutoku knew instantly that he spoke of the nightmare. Though he didn't know what it had been of, he comforted the young child with firm belief. "Of course not. I'll always be here to protect you. You can sleep safe now."  
  
"Arigatou, aniki." And then Shunkaku drifted back to sleep.  
  
Owari ~ End  
  
[Song: "Aarian Jipushii no Uta" from Arasoi no Soi] 


End file.
